[David Noble]

I've told this story before but it deserves a repeat, even though I didn't end up with the gun. This was around 1987 or so. I was working in my gun store and received a phone call from a kid that asked if I wanted to buy a double barrel shotgun. I said "yes, probably, what can you tell me about it?" He replied "It says Parker on it and it is HUGE, must be a 20 gauge!" I told him to bring it in for me to see.
About an hour later two guys walked in and said they had called with a gun for sale. I told them that yes they had talked to me and that they should bring it in.
So they go get it from the car and presented it to me. It was a CH 8ga with 36 inch damascus barrels. There were some case colors remaining on the receiver in places but mostly just well cared for metal, Engraving was sharp as new and the barrels had beautiful damascus finish full length. The wood was untouched and still had the skeleton butt plate. I had a few Parkers and basic knowledge of them at that time so I was looking over the gun pretty thoroughly. There was an "8" stamped on the rear lug and I speculated that it was a size 8 frame, and I believed it was an 8 frame because the barrels and action had a massive diameter and the gun felt like it weighed 20 lbs! This was of course the first 8 gauge shotgun I had ever held. I was shaking in my boots at the prospect of owning this fantastic and rare shotgun for the $200 agreed upon price, but I knew in my gut that I could not, so as I stalled them I picked up the phone and called the Haltom City Texas police department and told them what was going on. Ten minutes later two squad cars pulled up and the officers started questioning the two young men and then handcuffed them and took them and the gun away. They turned out to be illegals and had just stolen the gun the night before from a Judge in a local county. The gun had not been reported stolen at that time but the police took the two guys away to hold for questioning.
I cited this incident here on the forums about 9 or ten years ago and Bill Murphy assured me then that it was not a number 8 frame and that the largest frame for a hammerless 8 gauge was a 6 and that the "8" stamped on the lug was the gauge marking. It sure fooled me.
I have not seen or heard of that gun since. I didn't even get a phone call from the Judge to thank me for getting it back for him, but why should I expect to, it was just the right thing to do.